Deep Within
by Random Inspiration
Summary: Kim and Ron are now attending college. Together, they experience new challenges, missions, and a love that could save the world from its darkest hour. Sequel to "Yes, It Can Be".
1. Northern Shore University

**Title: ****Deep Within**

**Summary: **_**Kim and Ron are now attending college. Together, they experience new challenges, missions, and a love that could save the world from its darkest hour. Sequel to "Yes, It Can Be".**_

**Disclaimer: **_**Kim Possible is the creation of Disney, I don't own it. Nuff said.**_

**Author Notes: 1) Read and enjoy, and please review! Reviews that say you like it are nice, but reviews that say **_**why**_** you like it are better.**

**2.) I want include a big thank you to ThePerfectImp, who was my Beta for this story. His patience is unparalleled with how long it's taking me to write chapters for this story. Plus, his dligence in doing a beta a chapter mutiple times is without question, more than helpful.**

**3.) While it isn't a necessity to have read "Yes, It Can Be" to enjoy this story, I do highly recommend you read it first if you haven't already done so. I believe it will make reading this story more enjoyable.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Northern Shore University**

After three long hours on the road from Middleton in the fully packed Sloth, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable entered the outskirts of Mountainburgh at a little past nine on Saturday morning. Seeing Polar Bear Lake up ahead to their right, Kim exclaimed, "Finally! This drive's taken forever. If we weren't caravanning with the 'rents, we'd have made it up in an hour like we did for Freshman Orientation two months ago."

"It's all good KP. It's like standard parental procedure to help their kids move in for their college freshman year. Traffic was light, so we kept moving. It only took an hour last time because we flew instead of driving," replied Ron.

"I know, I guess I'm just antsy."

"Don't worry, after we finish moving in, we can check out the town. We didn't get to do too much of that when we were here for Freshman Orientation."

As they were passing Polar Bear Lake, Kim said, "Sounds spankin'. Classes don't start until Monday anyways."

Shortly after crossing Valley Road, signs indicating Northern Shore University entrances were seen on their right. At the corner of Bear Street and Peak Avenue, the words 'Northern Shore' were stacked upon the word 'University' in sculpted ice-blue block letters, indicated the start of the college's property. After passing by the Bear Street and University Place entrances, Kim turned right onto Knowledge Way and headed towards the residence hall that would be their home during freshman year.

* * *

After navigating through all the check-in chaos, Kim, Ron, and both sets of parents had made it to the parking lot next to Summit Hall, the third of four residence halls along Knowledge Way. All the dorms were built in the same style. Each of the reddish buildings was brick built with five stories and a hipped shaped, slate shingled roof. The first four floors had rectangular double-hung windows for each room, while the top floor had circle top styled windows.

"So you're both in the same dorm?" Mr. Possible questioned with a raised eyebrow as they got out of the vehicles.

"Yes Daddy. We went over this. Each pair of bedrooms shares a bathroom, sort of like a suite. Each suite is one gender, but the floors and halls are co-ed," answered Kim in a matter-of-fact voice as she started to pull some suitcases out of the Sloth's trunk.

"College has changed a little since our day Dear," Mrs. Possible chimed in.

"Yeah, I guess it has," replied the elder male Possible.

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of boxes falling onto Ron as he opened up the back of the Possible's van. Before anyone could react, Ron's muffled voice came from beneath the pile. "I'm okay, just a little setback." Rufus quickly scampered out from underneath the boxes and stood atop the pile. The naked mole rat just stared at the boxes as he scratched his head. Kim could only smile and shake her head at Ron's 'little setback'. Ron eventually worked his way out of the pile. "Which floor do we have to take your stuff to again KP?" Ron asked as Rufus jumped onto his shoulder.

"Third floor Ron, I'm in room 307. Why don't you grab that big box and follow me up?" Kim then grabbed a few bags of clothes and headed towards the residence hall.

After finding a way to balance the box that was almost as tall and wide as him, Ron started heading into the dorm as the parents began organizing the boxes by weight to make transport easier. Ron followed Kim to the elevator. Rufus aided his blinded owner, by navigating for him, since the naked mole rat could see around the box from his perch. Ron consistently shifted left to right to keep the box balanced. _The box is light enough, but why does the weight keep shifting inside of it. _He asked, "What do you have in this thing?"

"It's just my entire Cuddle Buddy collection. Well not Pandaroo, she got a box to herself, but the rest of my collection is in there. When I talked with my roommate, Susan Keen, at Freshman Orientation, she told me she was a pretty big Cuddler too. Her favorite is Lionrus."

When they reached the elevator, a sign posted apologized for it being out of order on move-in day. Kim groaned and Ron grunted as they shifted directions and headed back through the first floor crowd to the stairs.

A few minutes later, the couple had made their way to Kim's door, which was slightly ajar. Kim pushed it open to see a tanned, blue-eyed, blonde girl unloading some Cuddle Buddies from a box. "Susan, good to see you again," greeted Kim from the doorway.

The blonde turned around and said, "Kim!" as she came over and gave the redhead a quick hug. Backing up, she added, "It's really special getting the famous Kim Possible as my roommate. From our conversation at Freshman Orientation, it sounds like we have a lot in common."

Before Kim could reply, Ron spoke from behind her, "Uh KP, do you think I could get in to set this box down?"

"Oh, sorry Ron!" Kim replied as she stepped into her room so Ron could come in with the box. He quickly came through the doorway and set the box on Kim's bed.

Susan then said, "Oh Ron! My bad, I should have greeted you too, but I didn't see it was you behind that box. Did you actually carry that thing all the way up the stairs by yourself?"

"It's okay, I'm just happy to get that box out of my arms." Ron replied as he sat down on Kim's bed to rest a little. As he did, Ron took a glance around the room. It was a typical dorm bedroom. _Let's see- wood flooring, ceiling lighting and one relatively spacious closet. The finest generic university provided furnishings - one four drawer dresser, two desks with matching chairs. The beds are bunk able too. Felix and I will probably do that, but I'm not sure if Kim and Susan will. All this stuff is in that generic light natural wood color too._ Through the open bathroom door, Ron saw the plain ceramic tile floor. _It figures the university would use industrial grade tile, cheap but durable. Usually on sale at SmartyMart every March _thought Ron.

"Yeah, he brought it up here by himself. It's a great thing he's in such good shape, or that would have been brutal." After glancing at Ron leaning on the box, Kim added, "Susan, can we catch up later? Ron and I need to finish unloading the vehicles and it'll take a little longer to move things in since the elevator is out. You seem to be just about done."

"Yeah, I got here around seven this morning, but I only had to come from Springfield. It's only about forty-five minutes west of here. Anyways, I'll let you two get back to unloading all your stuff. I'll finish organizing what I brought with me so I'm out of your way."

"Thanks Susan," Ron and Kim said simultaneously. Kim quickly added, "Jinx, you owe me a soda." Ron smiled and sighed in defeat.

The couple departed back towards the vehicles. As they started down the steps Ron commented, "At least my room's on the first floor. I got lucky with Felix as my roommate."

"That'll make moving in less of a drag. You're in room 113, right?"

"Yup, and I get to pick which bed I get since Felix won't move in until tomorrow. He's helping Zita move into Upperton University today."

"That was really nice of him to do that for Zita. Although I actually kind of wish we had those advanced cyber robotics to help us move into our rooms."

"What do you mean? You've got the Ron Man to help you move in," replied Ron as the duo reached the bottom of the stairs.

Wrapping her arms around Ron, Kim whispered in his ear, "True, can't carry as many boxes at one time, but definitely has the advantage of providing Ronshine when I need it." She took advantage of the moment for a tender semi-quick, kiss.

At this point Rufus, sticking out his tongue and muttering "bleh", hopped off Ron's shoulder and scampered into his pants pocket. Breaking their kiss, Ron and Kim giggled for a moment then continued smiling at each other on their way back to the vehicles.

* * *

At the same time Kim and Ron were moving into their rooms, some upperclassmen were moving into rooms in the private apartment complex across from the University on the other side of Peak Avenue called Mountaineer Village. While the building on the north side of the complex that was perpendicular to Peak Avenue was all apartments, the two buildings parallel to the road had retail venues on the first floor, with apartments on the four floors above the first. Looking out across Peak Avenue, residents could see the pristine mountain range. The bustling retail and residential village was its own bubble of life, just a short walk from the college, with restaurants and shops for both residents and students from the university to take advantage of.

The apartments' outside architecture was designed to look like the residence halls of the college, but the inside were furnished spacious apartments instead of the economical living space of the dorms. The living rooms of Mountaineer Village were large enough for a dining table set in addition to the side tables, sofas, television and other entertainment furnishings. The kitchens came fully equipped with stove, oven, microwave, and dishwasher, as well as a full washer and dryer –no trips to the laundry room for these students. The bedrooms came with another spacious benefit, walk-in closets in every room. Finally, the apartment featured plush carpeting throughout with decorative ceramic in the kitchen and heated ceramic tile floors in the bathroom, quite a bonus for the cold winter nights. For the students of Northern Shore University, these apartments were the top echelon of residential options at their disposal.

Among the Mountaineer Village residents were three muscular, senior football players who had finished moving in very early that morning. They were now relaxing on some sofas in the living room of their three bedroom apartment. They were Gordon Beng, starting strong safety, Seth Nazar, starting outside linebacker, and the star of the team and big man on campus, Nick Alvah, wide receiver. Seth was stretched out on the couch, taking up about half the space, while Gordon sat comfortably on the left arm rest. Nick relaxed in a sofa chair to the left of the couch.

"Yo Nick, I heard you dumped Rita over the summer," jibed Gordon as he tossed a NSU foam football at the wide receiver.

Catching it easily with his non-dominant hand, Nick replied, "Hey a stallion like me needs the ultimate girlfriend. Rita was hot, but it wasn't like she was drop-dead gorgeous. Plus, she basically told me she wanted to pursue some of her own interests in the Psychology field." Switching the ball to his right hand, he passed it at Seth. The linebacker cradled it with his chest.

"So basically, you still haven't landed that 'ultimate girlfriend' you've been going on about for the past two years, right?" Seth used air quotes for emphasis while keeping the football in his left hand.

"No, I haven't found 'the one' yet. The ultimate girlfriend would be smokin' hot and answer to my every whim. I won't settle for anything less than that. If anything, I should get an ultimate trophy girlfriend. She would also be famous in addition to having a fantastic body and being a great side piece. She wouldn't have to worry about pursuing dreams or a career because she would have me and all the football and endorsement money I'll make when I graduate," described the football star.

"Yeah, we know what you look for in a girlfriend. Whether your description takes thirty seconds or twenty minutes, it's always the same. It's just a matter of how often you repeat it. I have to say I like that my girl is feistier than what you want. Lima transferred here from her college in Ashville, since Northern Shore is starting a culinary arts program this year. Her cooking is exquisite, a must for man who takes pride in his Italian roots like I do. Plus she's got a great body," replied Seth, gesturing to himself with the football as mentioned his Italian background.

Gordon interjected, "You and your Italian roots. In addition to your blonde hair and blue eyes not giving a stereotypical Italian impression, you lack a good Italian mustache," as he pretend to twirl an imaginary mustache.

"Not all Italians have mustache's fool. I figured a good beard works fine. It didn't look bad for Franco Harris. That man had Franco's Italian Army supporting him at football games. It's no different than you and your rap music collection," retorted Seth as he threw the football with some velocity at Gordon.

After catching the ball with both hands, the strong safety shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? MC Honey knows how to work a beat. You take pride in your Italian roots and I take pride in my African heritage." Gordon then added, "Anyways, is this the same girlfriend who's got the same competitive streak that you do?"

"Oh yeah, she won't settle for second place in any competition. I met her in Ashville when I attended that huge kegger they had during fall break last year. She's only a sophomore now, but she is without a doubt a full grown woman, if you know what I mean," commented Seth with a wink.

Nick added his critique. "I don't find anything wrong with your taste in women. I just have higher expectations for a woman to be my girlfriend."

Gordon replied, "Yeah, you want your girlfriend to be an anomaly like you. You're the rare white boy who can run, jump, and catch. Like Jason Sehorn, except you play wide receiver for a college team in Mountainburgh, and he played cornerback for a professional team in New York." He then tossed the football back at Nick.

After he caught it with his right hand, Nick twirled it as he boasted, "Dude, Sehorn played defense. I'm a wide receiver, white as Wes Welker, but as talented as Terrell Owens and Randy Moss. I'll be a professional soon enough though. Our football team is going to be great this year with all the returning starters we have. With as good as the team will be, it'll give me a chance to get some more national attention. It's going to be my year to break receiving records. With all that fame, there is nothing like living the life on the top of the food chain. Throw in my outstanding good looks and luck and trust me, I will land that ultimate girlfriend this year."

* * *

"That place was fantastic. Decent price, nice service, and probability of any kind of kitchen disaster is less than one percent," said Mr. Stoppable as he came out of the Mountain Man Pizzeria in Mountaineer Village with his wife, son, Kim, and her parents.

When the group reached the parents' vehicles, Mrs. Possible said, "Well Kimmie, looks time it is time to say goodbye for a while. I know you'll make us proud."

"Thanks Mom," Kim replied as she gave her mom, then her dad a hug. "Take care Daddy."

"You too Kimmie Cub."

As Kim said her goodbyes to her parents, Ron did the same with his parents, hugging his dad then his mom. During the hug, his mom said, "Enjoy yourself Ronnie."

"Thanks, Mom. I will."

Ron gave a quick farewell to the elder Possibles as Kim said her goodbyes to Ron's parents. When Mr. Possible shook Ron's hand before departing, he made intense eye contact with Ron and tilted his head in the direction of his daughter. Ron understood the unspoken meaning of the gesture -_take good care of my Kimmie Cub_- and nodded in confirmation. The parents got into their vehicles and headed southeast, back to Middleton as the crime fighting duo walked across the street back towards their dorm.

"So, how do you think your brothers are fairing?" asked Ron as they walked.

"With Hana? Good question. I know Jim and Tim have a lot of energy, but even I don't know if they can handle your super ninja baby sister. If they're having trouble, it's payback for all the times they were inhuman when I had to babysit them. Actually, I really hope she's running full speed all over the house." Ron laughed at the thought of Hana literally running over and around Kim's brothers.

They continued to walk towards their home for the next few months. Enjoying being alone together for the first time since they arrived in Mountainburgh, Kim and Ron took their time strolling hand-in-hand through campus. They admired the scenery, especially the pristine mountain range that bordered the eastern edge of campus. The campus itself was mainly rolling hills with plenty of trees on the grounds to provide shade and some nice scenery. As the couple entered the residence hall, Ron asked, "So, which clubs and activities are you going to try to do?"

"I really don't want to get involved in too much like I was in high school. I figured I should try marinating a little more in college. I'll probably just try out for the cheerleading squad. I saw a flier in the hall giving the time people should show up. Between that, classes, missions, and Ronshine, I think I'll have a pretty full schedule." Kim paused to give Ron a twinkling smile, "Especially the Ronshine."

"Whether it be providing the Ronshine or supporting my lady at her cheerleading tryout, the Ronster aims to please."

"Speaking of tryouts, the football team is holding some for anyone interested in being a walk-on at the same time the cheer squad tryouts are. Are you going to try out? Both are at the football stadium. I think they call it the Snow Bowl."

"I guess it can't hurt with my mad running away skills." Ron thought for a moment, smiled and added, "If they don't need a running back, I guess I could always see if they need someone to be the school mascot."

"Yeah, but I think you'll be on the football team. I like cheering more when you're out on the playing field."

"After we're done, why don't we dine at that Winter Wonderland Restaurant that was right next to Polar Bear Lake? It looks similar to Chez Couteaux. Plus they were passing out 50% off coupons for students during the move-in insanity. The coupons varied on which night this week they are valid. The one I picked up is only good for tomorrow night."

Kim rested her head on Ron's shoulder, their arms intertwined as the duo started up the dorm's stairwell. _At least it wasn't a kids eat for free coupon_, Kim thought as she smiled and said contentedly, "Sounds like a wonderful night."

* * *

"…so you really think I should run for one of the Freshman Representative spots when elections start next month?" asked Susan as she and Kim were settling in for the night.

"From what you told me about being president of your high school's community service club, I think you'd be great at it. I'll help you put up posters and fliers and I'm sure Ron would help too."

"In the short time I've known you I don't think I've seen Ron not help when you've asked him."

"Yeah, we've had each other's back through a lot of stuff since preschool. Everything you've seen is pretty much small stuff. "

"I can only imagine, but I'm sure I'll hear plenty of stories soon enough. Now let's get some sleep; you have cheerleading tryouts tomorrow afternoon."

"Yeah. Good night Susan."

"Sleep well Kim."

* * *

It was two o'clock in the afternoon when Kim walked up to the audition table located on the visitor's sidelines of the football field. She was greeted by a cheerleader seated there, "Welcome to cheer tryouts! Are you a returning student or a freshman?"

"Hi, I'm Kim Possible. This is my freshman year."

"Welcome to Northern Shore University." The cheerleader handed Kim a spiral playbook, containing the standard cheers used by the squad and some diagrams of some of their basic routines. "I'll put you down for the 2:05 audition. Just scan through that book and pick a routine you feel best demonstrates your abilities. You can have a seat on the bleachers while you wait. The evaluators will call you over when they're ready for you."

"Okay, thanks." Kim scanned through the book on her way to the bleachers. _These are just basic cheerleader routines. I guess she wants to see how solid someone's basics are and try more complicated routines later. _After picking the most complicated routine, Kim sat down and the bleachers and turned her attention towards the football field. She had gone on ahead to the cheerleading tryouts as Ron helped Felix move in. _Ron should be here soon…oh, there he is. _Kim smiled a little wider as she saw a familiar blond jogging onto the football field heading towards the home team's bench where an assistant coach was sitting at a table.

As Ron reached the table, he asked the coach "Is this where the walk-ons are supposed to sign up?"

"Sure is," replied the middle aged man. He then turned away from Ron and yelled, "Coach Holler, we actually got a walk-on this year."

A black haired, crew-cut man dressed in Army issued gym clothing, walked over from the middle of the field where he had been watching the team do their warm-up stretches. The six and a half foot tall, buff head coach eyed Ron discerningly from head to toe and demanded, "What position are you looking at, blondie?"

Ron gulped and then replied, "Running back."

_This scrawny chicken a running back? I'll give him one shot. I'll throw him into the fire and see what he's got. _The head coach body language only showed indifference to Ron. Holler looked over at the assistant. "Franco, go ahead and get him suited up." Coach Holler turned and went back to the team.

Coach Franco got up from the table. "That's Coach Holler for you. I'm Barry Franco, the running backs coach. Just follow me."

"I'm Ron Stoppable."

As Ron and Coach Franco entered the locker room, the running backs coach pointed, "The lockers at the end of the room have spare pads and uniforms hanging. Just put on a set that fits and I'll take you out to the field."

"Thanks Coach." As he was putting on his gear, Ron asked, "So…how many running backs does the team have?"

Coach Franco chuckled, "Technically two, but they're actually fullbacks. They can get some tough short yards, but they mainly excel at blocking. With our passing game, we tend not to run too much. We've had one of the top wide receivers in the country the past three years, and he's back for his senior year. The offense is designed around him. Anyways, how would you describe your running style?"

Ron finished putting on the blue uniform jersey. "I never really thought about it before. I just run."

_He put the gear on without any problems, so he's obviously played before, but I really wonder if this guy is in over his head. "_All right let's get back to the field."

* * *

While Ron was in the locker room, Kim was called over by the cheerleaders who were evaluating the applicants. As she came to stand before them, she was politely greeted and given a surprise.

"Welcome to Northern Shore University. I'm Karen Agnes, a senior here and one of the two vice-captains on the squad. To my right is Hillary Brooke, she's a junior and to my left is Jessica Caroline, she's a sophomore. As you can see, we don't discriminate based on class standing. Now in addition to rooting for the NSU teams at various events, we also compete in cheerleading competitions with our Polar Bear mascot. Sometimes we might lose a team member for a competition at the last minute because of an exam, and have to change the routine on the fly. To see how you would handle that kind of high pressure situation, for your tryout, you can't use any of the routines in the book you were just given. You can start when you're ready."

Kim couldn't help but find this 'test' amusing. _High pressure situation? Please, I mean sure, it's a pressure sitch, but far from being high. This kind of thing is about as common as Ron losing his pants on a mission before our half-aversary. High pressure would be more like Lorwardians on the verge of conquering the planet._

Within seconds she started the routine she had designed but had to perform in Ron's body because of Drakken's brain switch machine. She finished the routine by perfectly switching her weight from her left foot to her right and hitting the heel stretch at the top, then springing into a back somersault, landing in a perfect split, her arms thrust upward.

The three cheerleaders were speechless when Kim finished her routine. Kim then spoke to break them out of their stupor.

"So, do I need to go anywhere else or do something more?" politely asked Kim.

The cheerleaders quickly conversed amongst themselves at the table. Karen then spoke. "Kim, welcome to the squad. You are officially a Polar Bear Cheerleader."

Jessica added, "I have to say, I was skeptical that your reputation of 'can do anything' was exaggerated. I didn't think someone that close in age to me could be that good. To come up with something that complicated that fast…and off the top of your head... and to execute it perfectly, too! Just incredible! I'm happy to say that I'm wrong. Welcome!"

Hillary looked back at the audition table. "You've already met Lauren Best. She's the captain and by the looks of the line at the table we should only have three or four more auditions today. If you want, you can head back over to the bleachers. We're just going to chill after the auditions and watch the football practice today. Normally we'd have the whole team here and practice at the same time, but on audition day most of the team gets the day off."

"Okay, thanks," Kim replied as she went over to the bleachers. As she sat back down, Ron was coming out of the locker room.

As Ron made his way to the polar bear logo at midfield, the head coach yelled to the team that was circled around him, "Alright everyone, we're going to run some scrimmages now. YOU, the walk-on, what's your name?"

"Ron Stoppable," replied the running back, obviously intimidated.

Ron's reaction provoked some snickering amongst the players. The defensive captain, Edgar Finbar, joked, "I thought we wanted unstoppable players coach."

Coach Holler turned and immediately snapped, "Finbar, shut your yap and get your defense to the offense's twenty yard line stat."

"Yes, sir."

"Dakota, do your job and get your unit into a huddle already." As the offense and defense units moved to the desired yard line, the head coach added, "We're doing extra men scrimmages, starting with defense. Stoppable, get in there so we can see what you've got."

As the groups huddled, Ron asked the quarterback, "What does he mean by 'extra men' scrimmages?"

Carlos Dakota, the quarterback, looked over at Ron and answered. "Coach gives the offense or defense an extra player, so one unit is playing eleven versus twelve. In this case the defense gets an extra defender, so it's harder for us to move the ball." He turned to the whole huddle, "Coach Holler said he wants to see what Stoppable here has, even if he doesn't have any idea what the playbook is. We'll just do a simple off tackle going right to start things off. Hike on three…Ready…Break."

* * *

As the squads conversed in their respective huddles, the four cheerleaders Kim had met were sitting down with her in the bleachers. A fifth cheerleader was with them.

Lauren Best, the team captain, spoke up. "I suppose I should give you the official captain's welcome. The girls spoke very highly of your routine. From their description, I have to say I'm quite impressed too."

"I appreciate the compliments. I've already met Hillary, Jessica, and Karen, who's the new cheerleader with you?"

"Oh, sorry. Kim, this is Jezebel DeVille. She's one of the vice-captains on the squad."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Kim greeted as she stuck out her hand.

Jezebel just looked at Kim and replied, "Yeah you should be. There aren't many high class students at this school." She turned away from her and focused on the football field.

Jessica, who'd sat behind Kim, leaned forward and whispered, "Don't take it personally. She's pretty much like that to everyone. Just ignore her."

"I think I'll be alright. She reminds me of someone I dealt with in high school." _Maybe having to deal with Bonnie all those years was good for something after all._

To change the topic of conversation, Karen chimed in. "Well, seven girls made the squad, but you're the only one who decided to stick around and watch football practice."

Kim beamed a little. "I stayed to watch my boyfriend."

"That's so sweet. What's he majoring in?" asked Hillary.

"He's in the Culinary Arts Program here."

"A man that cooks? You are a lucky girl." commented Lauren.

"I'd say that I'm lucky to have him," agreed Kim.

* * *

Back on the field, the squads had broken their huddles and walked to the line of scrimmage. The offense had a tight end lined up on the right side and three receivers on the left with Ron as the lone running back about seven yards deep behind the quarterback. The defense came out with four defensive linemen, four linebackers, and four in the secondary. Dakota started his cadence, "Duck 86-Duck 86, hut, hut, HUT."

As the quarterback faded back after taking the snap from center, he turned and firmly placed the football in Ron's gut. Ron started to sprint right, but the defense had anticipated a simple play call. The defense read the way the offensive line blocked and the entire twelve man unit flowed in that direction. Two men jetted into the backfield untouched. The middle linebacker Finbar was coming straight up the middle and a cornerback was coming around on a corner blitz. Seeing the jailbreak, the three wide receivers started to jog over to the right side of the field, expecting the play would end soon near the line of scrimmage by the right sideline.

However, Ron quickly came to a stop and jumped backwards to avoid being tackled by Finbar. The defensive captain was in complete shock for a moment when he realized Ron had eluded him.

Ron landed on his right foot and started to spin to his right before his left foot even touched to ground to avoid a diving tackle by the cornerback. He turned out of the spin to the inside and started to run towards the left sideline. As Ron ran, Finbar had recovered from the surprise of his missed tackle and taken a great angle to force him out of bounds at line of scrimmage. Approaching that same point was one of the outside linebackers, and the strong safety.

With his practice at dodging spinning tops of doom, Ron contorted himself so Finbar went by right in front of him, allowing Ron to turn up field. The instant did, he hurdled over the other linebacker's diving attempt to corral him, only to find as he landed that the safety's arms were starting to encircle his leg from the right. Ron did a quick hop forward on that foot, as if he was a human pogo stick, and barely escaped the arms latching onto his leg.

By now, the other ten offensive players were all around the line of scrimmage staring in disbelief. None of the twelve defenders had given up on the play though. They were still chasing Ron as the running back was moving helter-skelter around the field, always narrowly escaping his would be tacklers as he made his way towards the end zone.

Over in the bleachers, Jezebel snidely commented. "Who is that? He's running like a demented squirrel."

Kim grinned with pride and admiration, "That's my guy."

Deville looked at Kim with disgust and figuring she had seen and heard enough, she got up and left.

Lauren looked on in amazement, "That's your boyfriend? How does he do that? He hasn't broken a single tackle, but he's dodged, like, twenty of them so…"

"Twenty-one," Jessica corrected.

"Okay, so he's dodged twenty-one of…"

"Twenty-two now!" added Hillary.

"Look I wasn't trying to get the exact number of dodg…"

"Make that twenty-three," Karen humorously quipped.

The captain gave up as she rolled her eyes. Kim just giggled.

"He calls it his 'mad running away skills'. He has a knack for dodging when he absolutely needs too."

By this point, some of the defenders were starting to drop as they grew weary of chasing Ron around the football field. As their numbers decreased, Ron started to run more in the open field towards the end zone. By the time he scored the touchdown, only two players were within five yards of him — a cornerback and Finbar. In the course of running from his own twenty yard line to the end zone, Ron had covered almost a quarter mile in total distance.

Barry Franco turned and smiled to the head coach, "I think we just found ourselves a running back. I've seen plenty who were stronger, faster, and definitely more graceful looking, but I've never seen someone more elusive."

Over by the end zone, Edgar Finbar walked over to Ron. "Dude, I completely apologize for that crack on your last name." He shook his head in disbelief. "We even had an extra defender too. I'm Edgar, defensive captain. This guy here is my friend Darren Crawford."

Crawford added, "After getting whipped like that, I've got to say I'm glad we only have to try and tackle you in practice.

"Ron Stoppable. Nice to meet you guys. I'm just glad I was only dodging tackles and not lasers, piranhas, or spinning tops of doom. As for the joke, it's all good man," Ron replied as he stuck out his hand in friendship.

As he shook hands, Crawford said, "Wait. Did you say 'spinning tops of doom'?"

"Yeah, but it's no big. I'll explain later. Say…what's with that guy?" Ron asked as he pointed towards another coach who was chewing out the offense.

Edgar answered, "Oh, that's Coach Wheeler. He's the offensive coordinator. His big thing is that you always play to the whistle. He's probably chewing them out for how none of them blocked for you after you made it past the line of scrimmage. Anyways we'd best get back over there before Coach Holler starts barking for us to get focused."

The three players headed back to the rest of the team. As they reached the sidelines, Carlos Dakota came up to Ron and said, "That had to be the craziest run I have ever seen."

"What can I say, I've got mad running away skills," Ron boasted as he put his arm up against a water cooler. Instantly the cooler fell forward onto Ron. Somehow, the top came off and Ron was drenched as he fell to the ground. As Ron sat there, he smiled ruefully and added, "I also have a great knack for stuff like this." Edgar and Darren just laughed.

Back in the bleachers, Hillary commented dryly. "For someone nimble enough to dodge all those tacklers, he seemed like a total klutz with the water cooler."

"He's a sweet, lovable kook," Kim grinned again.

Lauren Best said, "I think you'll fit in well with most of the cheerleaders Kim. Aside from Jezebel and her friends on the squad, you'll find the rest of us have moved on from the childish notions of the social food chain…"

Kim didn't really hear the captain as she just watched boyfriend get up and in true Ron style, slip one more time and somehow end up with a plastic cup stuck in his facemask. _Yup, he's definitely my lovable kook._

* * *

It was about four-thirty in the afternoon when the football practice was starting to wind down. Over in the bleachers, Lauren said to Kim, "They're just about done. Why don't you come with me to try on some cheerleader uniforms to see which size you are?"

"Sure, just let me grab my backpack. Hopefully this will be quick. Ron and I are heading to Winter Wonderland tonight."

"Okay, but we'll have to move a little faster if you want to get to the guys' locker room before Ron finishes changing. Our locker rooms are a little further away than the football locker rooms." Kim said some quick goodbyes to the other cheerleaders before she left with Lauren.

Fifteen minutes later football practice finished and players started to head for the showers. Nick, Seth, and Gordon loitered at the water cooler to get a drink before they headed in.

"Man, that freshman walk-on was a pain today. Most of our defensive drills after the scrimmage were on tackling. Whether it was angles or effective ways to gang tackle, Holler wouldn't let up," complained Gordon.

"So what? I actually had to deal with the idiot. He's says the stupidest things, like that 'booyah' phrase whenever he does something good," Nick added.

"Ahh, you're just upset that the coaches are actually going to give him some plays. Since they'll be run plays, that will mean fewer chances for you to showcase your stuff," commented Seth.

"Seth's right. You may be Mr. Smooth with the coaches, media, and other students, but we know you too well Nick," added Gordon.

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get to the locker room," Nick retorted as he started walking.

As the trio approached their destination, they saw a girl walk as if she was gliding on air, heading to the locker room door. Nick let out a subtle howl. He quietly said to his companions, "Hey, check out the new hottie. I saw her in the bleachers watching us practice; she's probably a new cheerleader. I haven't seen her before but she has got to have the best body I've ever seen."

They saw her stop and lean up against the wall of the building near the door. Gordon then added as they got closer, "Dude, I think that's Kim Possible. I heard rumors that she decided to attend school here."

Nick whistled softly. "The Kim Possible, huh? Someone that famous and with that drop dead gorgeous body — I think I just found the perfect person to be my ultimate trophy girlfriend."

Gordon and Seth just looked at each other and rolled their eyes. As the trio walked to the locker room door, Gordon and Seth went inside and Nick walked over to Kim.

The wide receiver put his hand up against the wall beside Kim and said charmingly, "Hi there beautiful. I don't think I've seen you here at Northern Shore University before. I'm Nick Alvah. How about I take you over to Mountaineer Village and treat you to a nice dinner?"

Kim smiled and replied politely, "Nice to meet you, I'm Kim Possible. I'm just started here at Northern Shore this semester. I'll have to say no to the dinner. I'm waiting for my boyfriend; we're already heading out tonight for dinner."

At this point Ron came out of the locker room in his usually red shirt and tan pants. "Ron!" Kim greeted as she hurried over to him. She hugged him and gave him a quick kiss.

Ron just beamed with his goofy smile with Kim in his arms. Seeing Nick behind her, Ron said, "Hey Nick. Sweet fingertip grab there in practice. I can see why Carlos called you the best receiver in the nation."

Hiding his shock at Ron being Kim's boyfriend, Nick kept his cool exterior demeanor. "Thanks man. I'll catch you later. I need to get in there and get a shower."

"Okay dude, peace," Ron replied.

As Nick went through the door he thought, _it's obvious he's a decent running back, but that guy has nowhere near enough food chain status to be dating someone like her. Pickings must have been slim in Middleton for her to decide to go out with that loser. With my social cred and charms, I'll win her over in no time._

Meanwhile, Ron and Kim started to walk back to Summit Hall. Ron spoke first. "Nick seemed pretty polite back there. Weird, when I was talking with Carlos in the locker room, I got the impression that Nick was a bigger jerk than Bonnie."

"He's definitely not shy. I would have had a better first impression if he simply tried to have a friendly conversation instead of hitting on me and asking me out to dinner. Not sure if I would call him a bigger jerk than Bonnie, but I can see how someone wouldn't like him," replied Kim, adding "I think I might have met Bonnie's equivalent on the cheer squad. She's a vice captain, but very snobbish. The other girls were very friendly though."

"So aside from Bonnie's equivalent, everything is badical?"

"Spankin' Ron," Kim replied as their residence hall came into view. Then Kim started to pull him along and added, "Come on, I want to get to the restaurant before it gets too crowded."


	2. First Week

**Chapter 2: First Week**

Kim's alarm clock blared at eight-thirty on the first morning of classes between Kim and Susan's beds. Kim reached over and shut off the alarm. Gradually getting herself out of bed, she showered and changed into a green turtleneck and black pants. She checked to the black dress she had draped over her desk chair. _Well, it's no longer soaking wet, but it is still a little damp_. Kim flipped the dress so the end that was on the chair was now facing up. Grabbing her backpack, she headed out of the residence hall towards the North Pole Dining Hall.

Kim gave her meal card to the dining hall's front desk attendant. After her card was scanned she headed to the closet serving line for some bacon and eggs. She grabbed an open seat and pulled out her schedule, reviewing it as she ate.

_Okay, time to double check the schedule. I have COMMs 201: Public Speaking from 10:00 to 10:50 Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Philosophy 101: Critical Thinking on Monday night from 7:00 to 9:45… that's the class I actually share with Ron. On Tuesday and Thursday, I am taking MATH 125: Statistics from 9:30 to 10:45 in the morning followed by Introduction to Computer Applications from 11:00 to 12:15. _

_Those last two should be easy enough, especially Computer Applications. I may not be as good with computers as Wade, but I do know my way around one. If it wasn't a required class, I wouldn't even bother. _

_Only other class I have this semester is my BUSN 200: Introduction to Nonprofit Entrepreneurship. That's also a Tuesday/Thursday class. I'll be taking that from 2:30 to 3:45 in the afternoon. _

Kim looked up at the clock as she finished nibbling on her bacon. _9:45 AM_. Quickly grabbing her tray, she brought it to the dirty dish return area, dropped it onto the conveyor belt, and hurried out the doors. Hustling across Knowledge Way, she made a left in front of Amundsen Library and headed east towards Aristotle Hall, home of the Schools of English, History, and Philosophy, the Communications Department, and not coincidently, her first class.

* * *

It was 9:50 AM when Felix got out of his second class for the day. He'd just finished up his Engineering Drawing class in Cyber Hall. He then rolled east as a slight breeze picked up. He gave a passing wave at some ladies standing outside Einstein Hall, who were from his Geometry 8 o'clock morning class. Upon reaching Amundsen Library, he turned left and rolled across Knowledge Way. He slammed on his brakes just outside the North Pole Dining Hall doors when a couple of guys bolted out on their way to class. _Running late on the first day, _he shook his head in amusement. Felix continued to Summit Hall and made it back to his room just before 10 o'clock. He entered to find Ron still asleep on the top bunk.

Ron woke to a robotic claw poking at his forehead.

"Yo Ron man, it's about ten in the morning. Don't you have an 11 AM class?"

After sitting up and stretching as he yawned, Ron replied, "Yeah, Chemistry."

Felix looked up at him. "Interesting choice. Why are you taking that?"

Ron rubbed his face with his hands in an attempt to wake up. "Simple. Even though I'm doing a vocational degree, I still have to get some liberal arts credits. Kim said people use chemistry all the time when they bake, so I figured I would take that for some science credits. The only other class I have that's not cooking related is the philosophy class I'm taking with KP on Monday nights."

"Oh, yeah, Philosophy 101. I picked the Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1 PM section." Felix watched as Ron was climbing down from the top bunk for a moment, and then asked, "So… when are your cooking classes?"

"Tuesday and Thursday. Plating and Meal Presentation is in the morning right before lunch and the Basics of Baking from Scratch is after lunch," answered Ron as bolted to get a quick shower before his class started.

Felix let out an amused chuckle. _Cooking classes sandwiched around lunchtime. That is so Ron._

When Ron got out of the shower and started putting on some clothes, Felix looked at the clock on his desk. _10:40 AM,_ "Ron-man, I don't think you're going to have time for breakfast before class."

Ron's head had just gotten through the top hole of his shirt. "I just go straight to class then and meet up with KP for lunch afterwards." As he put on his shoes, he added, "Our schedules are pretty similar this semester."

"While mine is pretty much the opposite of yours, guess I'll have plenty of time to relax when you two are busy. It won't be as exciting, but some serenity could be nice."

"Marinating is always a good thing my man." Ron looked up at the clock. "Well, later Felix." Ron ran out the door to try and make it to class on time.

"See you around."

Felix rolled over to his desk and turned on his computer. After it finished booting up, he logged onto a video communication program. Seeing the screen name he was expecting come up on his online friends list, the young genius beamed and took a breath to calm the excitement rushing through his veins. He stroked a few keys to start the connection. A familiar face came up on the screen. "Hey Zita, how did your morning classes go?"

* * *

Kim was walking by Amundsen Library from Aristotle Hall when she saw Susan approaching from the direction of Einstein Hall. Kim greeted her roommate, "Hey Susan! You done with your morning classes?"

Susan nodded at Kim as they started walking back to their dorm. "All done for today."

"Nice…I was surprised I didn't hear you get up this morning. You get points for being stealthy."

Susan chuckled. "You didn't hear me because my bed catches the early morning sun, so it woke me up five minutes before my alarm. The morning went by pretty fast. I had Standard Writing at 8 this morning in Aristotle. Then I walked to Einstein for my 9 o'clock Statistics class and stayed there for BIO 107. I'm done for the day. It will be similar for my morning classes tomorrow."

"Spankin'!, Which classes are you taking tomorrow?"

"Macro-sociology at nine-thirty and Intro to Social Work at eleven. I'll be taking both at Addams Hall."

"Addams Hall? Where's that?"

"Just to the east of Aristotle."

Kim stopped for a moment to picture the buildings in her head. "Which school is based out of Addams Hall?"

"The School of Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work."

"Right, and you are majoring in?"

"I'm a social work major. But, enough school talk though. How'd the date at Winter Wonderland go? You got back too late last night for me to ask you," said Susan as the duo reached the front door of their residence hall.

"It was really nice. Ron and I usually eat at casual dining places. In fact, I don't think we've been to a restaurant like that since the Lorwardian invasion. So it was fun to get dressed up and go out again. He wore one of his black suits and I wore a black dress that I hadn't put on since what Ron and I refer to as our Moodulator sitch."

"Yes, I saw the black dress…wait, did you say Moodulator?" Susan stopped at the door to the inside stairwell and looked at Kim quizzically.

"Long story, I'll explain later."

The duo started up the stairs as Kim continued. "I usually prefer something sparkly, but the black dress just seemed right for last night. It was a beautiful summer night too, so we ate out on the dock they have extended over Polar Bear Lake." With a wistful face, she added, "I wish we would have had any moon other than the new moon last night so it would have had a reflection in the water. The water looks crystal clear during the day, having a full moon reflecting in something that pristine would have really added to the moment. Aside from that, I don't think it could have been any better. During the walk back to campus, we even had a Ronmantic moment."

They exited the stairwell and crossed the hall to their room.

As Susan sat down on the edge of her bed, she shot Kim a befuddled look. "Ronmantic?"

"That's what I call moments that someone usually wouldn't see as romantic, but I feel the romance because it's Ron." Kim tossed her backpack on her desk chair and sat cross legged in the center of her bed.

"Okay, maybe this will help me understand. What exactly was last night's Ronmantic moment?"

Kim glanced over at the black dress fondly. "Last night's moment? Well, we were walking back from Polar Bear Lake after taking a romantic stroll through the woods near the restaurant after we finished eating. By the time we made it back to campus, it was close to midnight…"

* * *

"Are you getting a little tired KP?" asked Ron as they walked along a cobblestone path on the campus.

"No, I'm fine Ron," Kim answered as she wobbled a bit again. "You know these walkways really fit the architecture of the buildings here. It has that classic academia look to it all." She started to stumble again and looked down. In frustration she said, "It's just that my heels keep getting stuck in the crevices of the cobblestone paths. Let's just make it to the Great Lawn and walk on the grass."

The Great Lawn was the length of a football field, the width of two football fields, and located in the exact middle of the campus. It was bordered by the Amundsen Library on its north edge, the University's Chapel on its south edge, and the Administration Building to the west. The Student Union was almost on the east edge of the lawn. There was a fountain between the Student Union and the lawn. A statue in the fountain was of a mother polar bear watching over her cubs as they were on an ice floe. The fountain itself was centered at the midpoint of the Great Lawn.

The path brought Kim and Ron to the south end of the Student Union. They stepped off the cobblestones onto the grass of the Great Lawn and started across it.

After making it about halfway across the lawn, Kim uttered, "I just can't win tonight! First the heels get stuck in all the crevices and now they're sticking in moist ground!"

"Hey, I've got an idea KP," Ron proclaimed as the duo reached the Polar Bear Fountain.

"What?"

Ron started to put his words into action even as he explained to Kim his ultra simple plan. Swooping one arm under her legs he said, "I'll just carry you."

"Wait, Ron…" Kim started to say before she made a noise that was a cross between her pronouncing a short 'a' vowel sound and gasping in surprise when she got lifted off her feet.

After securing her bridal style, Ron commented, "See, no problem." But as Ron started to walk, his left foot stuck to the moist ground for a moment causing him to stumble. As he tried to regain his balance he uttered, "whoa, Whoa, WHOA!" It was no good; Ron started to fall backwards into the fountain. "WHOOOAAA!"

"AAAHHH!" Kim shrieked as they fell into the water with a splash.

Kim rolled off Ron into the water and turned her head to look at him. Somehow in the course of falling and landing in the fountain, Ron's bowtie had come undone. It was now partially around his neck, with one end in the mouth of one of the baby polar bears. It had been designed to look like it was watching the fish in the water, but at that moment, Kim could have sworn it was staring amused at her boyfriend. To top it off, the water coming out of the mother polar bear's mouth was giving both her baby and Ron a misty shower. Kim could only giggle at it all.

Ron stood up to get the bowtie out the statue's mouth. He pulled on the fabric to no avail. Ron planted his right foot against the polar bear and began to futilely tugged and grunt. Kim was laughing so hard, she couldn't stand up. Her boyfriend now planted his left foot against the polar bear and yanked with all his might. Ron successfully regained possession of his bowtie, but lost his footing and fell back into the water right beside Kim.

Being splashed with water helped Kim gain enough control to stop her giggling. She instinctively took a deep breath to help her relax a bit after she could barely breathe while giggling. Letting out that breath with a sigh, she rolled over on top of Ron.

As she stared into his brown orbs, Ron just shrugged his shoulders and gave her his trademark goofy smile. Kim lowered her eyelids and then kissed him as she cupped the back of his head with her left hand. The young man pulled her into an embracing hug and kissed her with equal exquisite tenderness.

Breaking the kiss, Kim savored it a moment longer, something she noticed herself doing more of lately, before opening her eyes. "Ron, I think we'll be better off this time walking together instead of you trying to carry me," she teased.

Ron nodded good naturedly in response. Kim rolled off Ron and sat up in the fountain. Her boyfriend took the opportunity to stand up and help her up out onto dry land.

* * *

"…and _that's_ a Ronmantic moment." Kim finished.

"I see what you mean. It's not the ideal romantic moment, but there is definitely romance to it," said Susan.

Looking over at the clock, Kim saw it was now quarter 'til noon. "Sorry to jet, but I'm lunching with Ron when he gets out of class. I've got to meet up with him outside Einstein Hall."

Grinning, Susan replied, "Don't worry, I understand. Have fun Kim and try to stay out of the kiddie pool."

"I'll try, but I think Ron enjoys the kiddie pool. We'll chat again later Susan. Bye." Kim grinned as she left their room.

* * *

Kim and Ron walked into Room 123 inside Aristotle Hall for their philosophy course about five minutes before seven o'clock. There were about twenty other students in the class with them. The classroom itself was more of a mini-lecture hall. The seats were arranged in a horseshoe with the rows elevating above the one in front of them. There were thirty seats in total facing the whiteboard and table desk at the bottom of the room.

Ron and Kim took a pair of seats next to each other near the center aisle on the back row. After they sat down Ron told Kim, "Felix said he had the same professor for this course earlier today." With some confusion, Ron added, "He said the professor is quite a character. Something about the guy being tightly wound, but a bit eccentric at the same time."

Before Kim could reply, a professor with snow white hair and a balding spot walked into the classroom, put his briefcase on the desk, and started speaking in a precise manner. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen." Some of the class returned the greeting. The professor briefly adjusted his rectangular frame glasses and continued, "I'm Dr. Thomas Socrates and this is Philosophy One-oh-One, Critical Thinking, course time option three. If anyone is in the wrong place, don't bother to tell me. Just leave and get to where you need to be."

Seeing that no one left, Dr. Socrates opened his briefcase and pulled out the syllabi he had printed off. He handed the stack to a student in the front who took one and passed it along. As the students were getting their syllabus, the professor continued, "This syllabus contains almost everything you will need for this class. After the standard course details, honor code, my professional contact information and the other technicalities contained in all syllabi, you will find a schedule of assignments, readings for the class, and exam dates. If there any changes, I will notify you through your university email account. All readings and assignments are optional for this course. Attendance is also optional except for your mid-term and final exams. On those days attendance is mandatory."

Surprised murmurs rippled through the lecture hall. Dr. Socrates quickly said, "Focus! I have more information to present." When the class settled down he continued. "The readings in your text will guide you through how to identify things like the parts of an argument, logical fallacies, et cetera. In the index of your syllabus you will find all the assignments for the course. Those will be the only copies of the assignments that you will get from me. It is your responsibility to not lose them. If you do not complete the given assignment for that Monday's class, don't bother showing up.

I will check to make sure everyone present has completed the assignment. We will then go over the entire assignment in class."

Dr. Socrates grabbed a red notebook out of his briefcase.

"You will each sign in every class in this notebook for an attendance record. If you miss a class for a legitimate reason, you can meet with me during my office hours to go over the assignment. Anything other than a health or family emergency is up to my discretion as to whether it was legitimate.

I will also record who is doing the assignments. That way I can see if there is any work you didn't complete that would prevent you from finding the answer on your own." The professor paused briefly to set the notebook back down.

"Are there any questions so far?"

The students muttered amongst themselves.

"This guy is definitely not one of those scatter brain professors."

"Definitely not a professor to baby his students."

"What have I gotten myself into?"

Kim whispered to Ron, "It's nice to get everything up front. It'll make getting ahead in the assignments easier in case missions get in the way."

"That sounds like a plan KP. I have to agree with Felix though, this guy is wound a bit tight.

Seeing that there weren't any raised hands, Dr. Socrates interjected, "If you have a question raise your hand. If not, quit your murmuring, we have more information to go over." The class quickly settled.

"Your mid-term will be working on the skills your textbook has you focus on during the first half of the course. It will be worth thirty percent of your total grade. For the second half of the semester, we will focus on taking what you learned in the first half and using all of it to make solid, logical arguments. To do this we will examine arguments presented in the news media and analyze them, then build arguments from your second half assignments. Your final exam will be one essay giving a logical argument why defending your chosen position on a topic I will give you that morning."

One of the girls in the front row asked, "So we're going to have to convince you that our opinion is right?"

The professor clarified, "No, you do not have to sway me. This isn't a persuasion course. You just have to construct a logical argument for your opinion. That essay will be worth seventy percent of your final grade."

Most of the students were shocked speechless. A young man in the front raised his hand and was acknowledged by the professor to speak.

"Isn't that a bit much?"

"If you feel it's too much for you, then you can withdraw from the class by then end of the week without a grade on your transcript. You young men and women are adults now and I am going to expect you not to have your hands held or given easy grades to just help your GPAs. Now, are there any more questions on anything I've gone over this evening?" Seeing no hands raised, he continued, "Okay, class dismissed. I will remain here at this desk until 9:45 tonight. You are free to use this room to get started on next week's readings and assignments for the remainder of class time."

"One last thing. You will get as much out of this class as you put into it. Have a good night."

The majority of the class got up and left immediately to spend their Monday night in a more entertaining fashion. Kim stuffed the textbook in her backpack, stood up and looked over at Ron. To her utmost surprise, he was reading the first chapter of the course's textbook.

_Well…Ron did tell me at lunch that he was going to do everything he could to do better than in high school. I'd actually forgotten how excited Ron looked when he told me how he this was a fresh start for him. Then again, I was trying hard to keep down my blushing as he talked about college graduation being another moment for us to share together. As well as I know him, somehow he always finds a way to surprise every now and then._

Kim smiled at her last thought before she sat down and opened up her textbook. She looked at the clock. _7:45 PM… hmmm, I guess we'll have about two hours to get a jump start on all this 'optional' work._ Kim then looked down and started to read her textbook as Ron read his.

* * *

The next morning football practice had ended at 9:30. Between changing, getting back to his room, and grabbing a quick breakfast Ron was now rushing to make it to his 11 o'clock class.

He made it to Studio 102 in Careme Kitchen with five minutes to spare before class began. Inside the studio were sixteen different cooking stations arranged in two columns. The only open station was in the back row. Ron headed all the way back and took his seat. The student at the station next to him greeted Ron.

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm George Garfield," he greeted as he stuck out his hand.

Ron stopped and stared. George was the same body-build and skin tone as the Eric synthodrone. He wasn't an exact duplicate - he had light brown hair, blue eyes, and slightly smaller chin. But it was so close to the…the thing that Ron froze.

After a moment, Ron nervously shook his hand. "Hi…I'm Ron Stoppable…eh, thanks for the warm welcome. So, uh, I'm from Middleton. Where are you from?"

"I'm actually from Mountainburgh. I grew up in the far west part of town." After taking a pause, George added, "Are you okay? You look as if you've seen some blast from the past."

Ron said hesitantly, "You look similar to somethi…er, someone I knew in high school."

"Is that a good thing?"

"I really didn't like the guy. Man, it's uncanny how much you look like him."

"So I have something close to an evil twin then?" George joked.

Ron hesitated just a moment, "I guess you could say you did."

"Did?"

"Long story."

"Fair enough. But since he was the evil twin, that means I'm good…right?"

Ron nodded halfheartedly. "I guess that makes sense."

Trying to change topics, George looked around at the other classmates. "I'm really surprised by the class demographics here. While a fair number of people associate cooking with the female gender, most chefs and restaurateurs are actually male. It's very strange that you and I would be the only guys in the class."

Looking around at the class, Ron noticed for the first time that he and George were indeed the only guys in the class. Before he could muster a response, the instructor, wearing a traditional chef outfit, walked confidently into the kitchen studio. Unlike the professors Ron had yesterday, the instructor didn't carry anything into the room. The average build, red-headed man then spoke with a distinct Irish accent.

"Good morning everyone, I'm Chef Hughes and I will be your instructor for this course. I would like to congratulate all of you for being a part of the inaugural Northern Shore University Culinary Arts Program. The sixteen cooks I see before me comprised what will be our initial graduating class. Most of you are freshman, a few are sophomores, but all of you were selected from a pool of over three hundred applicants to the culinary arts program. The Culinary Vocation Staff here has high expectations for all of you and we will spend the next four years pushing you outside your comfort zones. That way you will transform yourselves from outstanding cooks into extraordinary chefs."

After taking a pause to collect his breath he then continued, "Before class is over today, I am going to have you give me the number of the station you are sitting at. That will be your station for the next four years for all your classes. This entire studio will be the launch pad of your culinary careers. To begin I'll walk you through what this studio offers."

"On the sides of the room, you see ovens with stovetops. On the wall above each stove, there is a number. That number corresponds to the number at you counter. The four ovens with letters above them at each corner are extras in case one is having technical issues. In the drawer below each oven you will find most of your cooking pots, skillets, and pans. The wall behind me has the pantry, freezers, and refrigerators were all you food supplies will be kept. To the right of that storage area, you will see the special devices area. There you will find machines such as an ice cream maker, deep fryer, a chill blaster…"

Ron looked over at George and inquired in a quiet voice, "Dude, have you ever used any of those special devices? I don't even know what some of those things are or what they do."

"I've gotten the chance to use a few on special occasions. The others I've seen, but haven't used," answered George before the two guys turned their attention back to what their instructor was saying.

"…Food prep, dish washing, and, and hand washing sinks are located on the wall behind you. To the far sides of the sink row, you see two towers of metal shelves. Those have the cooking pots and pans that are too big to fit in the oven drawers."

Ron made a quick sidebar as he saw all the stainless steel shelves, pots, and pans. "Ooo shiny."

Chef Hughes shifted his orientation to the student's stations. "I'll now take you through a quick rundown of your stations. As you are now seated, all the drawers facing you will have all your cooking utensils, eating utensils, individual plating dishes, and group serving dishes." The students looked through their drawers as the instructor continued to speak.

"On the counter side facing the inside of the aisle between the stations, there is a small cupboard containing a bookshelf. On that shelf is your program manual. This holds the course guide for all the culinary courses you will be taking here. All course requirements, grading methods, and a written inventory of the supplies in the drawers you glanced through moments ago are in that manual. It is up to your discretion to keep any other books at your work station. You can take the manual out of the room if you want, but you have a storage space here for it. Now if you will get up, I'll take you on a tour of the rest of Careme Kitchen."

The class started to rise off their stools and head towards the front door. On the way to the door George whispered to Ron, "I've been curious about this building. It was closed because they were still doing the last construction touches during Freshman Orientation. It would have been nice to cook at one of those stations instead of using that portable kitchen outside when I did the meal for my application."

"That would have been nice, but wasn't exactly a big sitch," Ron replied as they headed out the door.

After everyone was in the hallway, Hughes pointed across the hallway and said, "That is Studio 101- our commercial kitchen. There you will get practice preparing foods for school organization banquets and other special functions. It also has a door directly to the outside that brings you out by the Student Union. It makes for a quicker trip when taking food over to the ballroom and banquet hall." Then he turned so the commercial kitchen was on his left and Studios 102 through 105 were on his right and walked down the hall, further into the building. "Studios 103, 104, and 105 are identical to Studio 102. They will be used for future graduating classes." As the group reached the door to Studio 105, the instructor pointed to his left. "That stairwell leads to the instructors' offices, including mine. At the beginning of each semester, we will post office hours on our doors. You can meet with any of us during those hours if you have any questions. We all know each other's courses, so if one of us is out, you can still ask another instructor for help with a cooking class."

Chef Hughes then pointed towards the end of the hall. "To your left and right at the end is a door that serves as another entrance and exit to this building. The double doors directly ahead of us lead to the practice kitchen." Walking through the double doors he led the class into the room. Inside was a kitchen more spacious than their work station with bigger counters and cooking appliances that were spaced a little further apart. It also had a small dining area in the back left corner of the room. "In this kitchen, you can practice what you are learning or cook a meal for some friends if no one is using it for class purposes. If you turn around you can see a sheet posted on this side of the door. That sheet is to sign up for using this area. You are to write down the time you wish to use it and whether it is educational or personal use. There is a pantry, refrigerator, and freezer for you to store supplies. You are to supply you own food for this room. Remember, be respectful of anything someone else is storing. Any questions?" Seeing that there weren't any, the instructor took the class back to Studio 102 to have a brief introduction to plating and meal presentation.

* * *

It was 3:50 on Tuesday afternoon when Kim walked out of Norman Hall, talking to her business professor and faculty advisor, Dr. Kyle Lawson. "…so that's why I decided on Nonprofit Entrepreneurship for my major instead of something like International Diplomacy."

"That's very ambitious of you and your friends, Miss Possible. I'm sure you will find our Business Major with a Non-Profit Concentration to be very helpful as you pursue those goals. Sometime over these next four years, you should talk with Norris Norman. His experience in founding Northern Shore University and serving as its first President should be of great value to you as you try and start your Team Possible nonprofit organization. He is on the campus grounds quite often. I'm sure you'll run into him eventually."

"But how would I recognize Mr. Norman? He's mentioned in a lot of documents, but I haven't seen his picture anywhere on campus. The few commemorative plaques only use a star instead of a bronze representation of him."

After briefly chuckling to himself, Dr. Lawson replied, "Just give it some time. Mr. Norman has specifically requested faculty to not point out who he is on campus. I can't say why, but he has his reasons. Don't worry too much though. I'm very confident that before your four years are over, you'll know who he is."

Kim raised an eyebrow, and then after a moment she shrugged. "Okay, I guess. Anyways I'll see you Thursday Dr. Lawson," Kim replied as she turned right to head east when Mr. Lawson turned left to head west towards the parking lot between Norman and Michelangelo Halls.

Kim headed towards Careme Kitchen. As she approached, she saw Ron...

Kim stopped and stared. Ron appeared to be talking with the Eric synthodrone.

_That's not possible!_ she thought as she started to walk slowly toward them. As she got closer, Kim was taken aback by the similarities between this…person and that Eric… thing. She actually stopped and looked one more time to make sure that this wasn't some twisted nightmare.

_Come on Kimberly Ann. It can't be him. I mean the hair color's wrong, and he has blue eyes…but still, that face…_

Breaking her out of her stare was Ron waving his hand back and forth above his head, motioning for her to come on over. Kim put on an air of normalcy as she walked, but underneath her calm demeanor she struggled with feelings of confusion, wariness, and some lingering guilt. When she got over to the guys, Ron introduced his classmate.

"KP, this is George. He's my classmate in the Culinary Arts Program. George, this is Kim Possible- hero, gifted student, and the one I'm proud to say calls me her boyfriend."

"Uh, nice to meet you," Kim said.

"Same here, I have to say Ron here has a way with words. Everyone I know would have said something along the lines of 'she's my girlfriend', instead of referencing what you call him."

"He's definitely one of a kind."

"What can I say, my essential Ronness is a one of a kind thing," Ron chimed in, gloating.

An unexpected low rumble of distant thunder interrupted them. "Maybe we should continue this conversation inside before your essential Ronness gets caught in some rain," suggested Kim. The guys nodded in response and followed Kim's lead towards the Student Union. As the group walked, Kim got George's attention and asked, "So where are you from?"

"I grew up here in Mountainburgh. My family lives about twenty minutes from here on the western edge of the town."

"So you commute here?" inquired Ron.

"No, I wanted to get the on-campus experience. So I'm living in Glacier. You know…the first residence hall on your left when you drove down Knowledge Way."

"Badical! Kim and I are Summit."

As soon as the trio reached and entered the Student Union, the rain started, pouring down in sheets of water. "Spankin', we made it just in time," commented Kim.

Heading inside, they went up to the second floor where the student mailboxes, game area, and student organization meeting spaces were. They headed to the game area where other students were playing cards, air hockey, and some pool. George spotted an open billiards table. "Why don't you two grab that table? I'll go check out a ball set and we can play while we talk some more." Kim and Ron agreed.

As Ron and Kim set down their bags, Kim asked, "Is it me or does George sorta look like…?"

"You know who?" Ron glanced over at George waiting in line.

Kim nodded in response.

"Yeah, he kinda does, but he's not it…right?"

Kim hesitated before she answered. "True, but it's still extremely…"

"Awkweird?" Ron finished.

"Yeah, awkweird." _Last thing I want is a repeat of that sitch. I feel so disgusted when I think about what I put Ron through. _Kim closed her eyes to regain her slipping composure.

Ron looked back at George. _Okay, but awkweird is something that'll probably pass. We just need to hang out a bit and get to know each other better. _He turned and saw Kim close her eyes, then the faintest hint of a shudder. _Uh-oh, KP seems a bit on edge about it. Time to change the subject. _Ron asked, "So…how has your day been KP?"

Kim opened her eyes. "Huh?"

"How's your day been?"

"Busy," Kim replied with a smile. "It'll be nice to kick back and relax tonight."

"You're getting better at marinating, you know that KP?"

"Yeah, and your getting better at showing a little initiative. Maybe we're starting to rub off a little on each other."

"Interesting. A mixture of essential Ronness and Kimness. Now what exactly would you get with that? -Komness? -Rimness? -Kromness?" replied Ron as he started to go off on a tangent.

"Hey, Ron?"

"Yeah, KP?"

"You're thinking a bit too much. Anyways, George is back."

Ron looked over and saw George holding three cue sticks and a tray of pool balls. He grinned and shrugged at the same time. George, having overheard Ron's tangent, commented, "I think this might be the beginning of a very weird friendship."

* * *

Nick Alvah stroked his slick black hair as he exited the football locker room inside the Ice Block Complex. Standing right outside as she had been after the Sunday afternoon football practice was Kim Possible. The wide receiver once again put up his nice guy façade. "So… waiting for the new walk-on again?"

"Yes and his name is Ron. Shouldn't you know the names of your teammates?" Kim replied politely, a little perturbed at how, despite his polite tone, Nick's onyx eyes seem to be doing nothing more than lewdly checking her out.

"Yes, Ron. Sorry but I'm a little slow when it comes to names. I've always been good with faces, but it's a struggle to get names down."

"Really? Then I guess you'll learn the name Stoppable when you constantly see him running for touchdowns then."

At that moment, Ron exited the building and greeted the two of them. "Hey KP! Hi Nick."

Kim made it a prerogative to walk past Nick as she crossed to Ron and embraced him, giving him a quick, but deep chaste kiss.

_It's sickening seeing the perfect fuck doll stuck on such a loser. If she's that dedicated to him, she'll be the ultimate trophy once I have her. _Nick briefly shook his head to refocus himself and asked, "Hey Ron, I wanted to ask you during practice, but didn't get the chance, what -with coach running us to the bone. Some of the other seniors and me are putting together a party for after our first game next Saturday. It's something we do to build team unity and all. I got the job of inviting all the freshmen on the team. What do you say, can you make it?"

"I'll try and make it. Can't make any promises in case a mission comes up, but I'll try my best to be there."

"Excellent dude. See you there," As he walked away from the couple towards the parking deck Nick thought, _that goofball's probably never been to a real party. It'll be the perfect chance to plant some 'cheating evidence'. Hmmm, I'd better get around to asking the other freshmen to attend though. Have to keep up the façade for this party._

As Kim and Ron headed towards the Student Union, Kim commented, "It's kind of creepy how many times I've crossed paths with him around campus these past three days. Are you sure you want to go to that party?"

Ron shrugged. "He seems friendly enough. If no missions come up, that might be a good night for you to do that Girls Night Out thing you've wanted to do with Susan."

"Yeah, I guess I could do that. Just try and stay out of trouble okay?"

"Kim, I'm the one that tries to avoid trouble, remember?"

"And yet it always seems to find you," Kim teased as they entered the Student Union. After checking their mailboxes, they found George, Felix, and Rufus playing a game of poker. As the duo got to the card table, Rufus laid down a straight flush to beat out Felix and George, who each had a full house. The naked mole rate then raked in the giant stack of candy in the middle of the table and took a dive into the pile.

"Dude, how many times have we lost to this naked mole rat tonight?" George asked Felix.

"I lost count. For all I know, that could have been the three hundred and seventy-eighth consecutive hand," answered Felix. Then he added, "I think that was my last bit of candy, too."

After staring at Felix for a moment, George looked up and saw Kim and Ron. "Hey you two, practice over with for the night?"

Ron replied, "Yeah, actually last one for the week. Coach Holler just runs three practices a week: one Sunday afternoon, one at the crack of dawn on Tuesday morning, and one on Wednesday night. He makes us go full tilt the entire time though."

"Next you'll be telling us that you're starving," jested Felix.

"Well… -yes, I am. Kim and I walked over here to check our mailboxes, pick up Rufus, and then we were heading over to Mountain Man Pizza in the village. By the way, Felix, thanks for looking after the little guy while I'm at football practice. Coach wants absolutely no visitors during practice, so the little man can't come."

"No problem Ron. But, I don't think I'll be playing poker again with him anytime soon. Too bad Rufus just can't go and watch the cheerleaders practice on the opposite side of the football field since they practice at the same time the football team does."

"Sorry, Felix, but our cheer squad captain likes closed practices too. She says it helps keep everyone focused," Kim chimed in.

"Maybe we should just try a game of checkers next time," suggested George, and then added, "If you two are heading over for a bite to eat, mind if we tag along? I'll treat everyone to the pizzas and soda."

Kim and Ron looked and each other and shrugged. "Sure, why not?" agreed Ron. George got up from the table as Felix rolled around it. Rufus tugged at Ron's sleeve and gestured to his candy winnings. Ron opened up his backpack and scraped the pile into the bag. As Ron closed it up, Rufus jumped onto his shoulder. The group headed on over to the pizzeria.

* * *

Ron and George were debating about Ron's attempt at combining the nacho appetizer with taco pizza at the pizzeria last night when Chef Hughes walked into the classroom. As the class quickly settled in, he gave them their assignment for the morning. "Okay everyone, to get an idea of how well you grasped the basics we went over on Tuesday, today I want you to cook one of your favorite dishes. When you're done, I want you to make a single dish presentation for me to see at your work stations. Any food you need should be in the pantry. I'll start judging plates with thirty minutes left in class, so pick a dish you can cook in the amount of time I'm giving you. Make enough food for about three plates as you will have the chance to sample the foods of your fellow chefs-in-training. Let's get moving cooks."

Chef Hughes observed the students as they got up from their work stations. Fifteen of the sixteen students started to make a beeline for the pantry area. Ron however walked in the opposite direction towards the sinks and started to wash his hands. By the time he was done, most of the other students had grabbed their food and made it back to their work stations. Ron went first to the refrigerator and pulled out a package of ground beef. After putting the ground beef onto his work counter, the blond went over to the pantry and pulled out a package of soft tortilla shells, a jar of nacho cheese, and some spices to make taco seasoning with. Not finding any nacho chips, he grabbed a box of crunchy taco shells.

When Ron got back to his station with the pantry goods he had picked up, George asked, "Why were you so late getting up to the front man?"

Ron stared at his cooking neighbor with a dumbfounded expression on his face. His tone clearly showing he thought the reason would be obvious, "I was washing my hands."

George gave himself a slight smack on the forehead. "Good call," he replied as he left his station to wash his hands. The sound of him smacking his forehead drew the attention of some other students, who upon noticing George washing his hands, walked over to the sinks to do the same. A few students were too wrapped up in cooking their favorite dishes to notice most of the class was now washing their hands.

Meanwhile, Ron pulled out of the oven drawer a skillet and small saucepan. He placed the skillet on the front left burner of the stove and the saucepan on the back right burner. Ron quickly went back to his work station and pulled a wooden spatula and spoon out of the cooking utensil drawer and grabbed the ground beef package off the station's counter. He placed the spatula on the stove's ledge and the spoon into the saucepan.

Ron took the ground beef out of the packaging and put it in the skillet. He threw the packing into a trash can by the sink and quickly washed his hands one more time. He turned on the front burner, grabbed the spatula and started to break up the beef so it would be smaller. After he determined the beef was at an appropriate size for tacos, Ron left the meat to simmer and cook in its own juices.

He grabbed the jar of nacho cheese from his work station. After pouring it into the small saucepan, he turned on the back burner. While the cheese slowly heated, Ron broke the hard taco shells into chip sized pieces by hand and dropped them into the saucepan. The pot was about forty percent taco chips and sixty percent cheese.

Ron went back and stirred the meat around to see if it had fully cooked yet. Seeing that it had, Ron grabbed the spices from his work station and seasoned the meat. Balancing one chunk of meat on the spatula, Ron tossed it into the air and caught it in his mouth. "HOT! Hot! Hot."

Some of the class turned to see what the commotion was, only to see Ron blowing on his tongue and panting like a dog. While all the girls shook their heads in disbelief and went straight back to their work, George set down the eggs that were in his hands, walked over and asked, "Are you okay man?"

Ron, having finished panting, answered "Yeah, just tasting the meat to see how the flavor is. Forgot to blow on the meat to cool it before I tossed it into the air." Making a circle with his thumb and pointer finger, Ron added, "The flavor is excellent though."

"You're quite a character, you know that?"

"It's all a part of my essential Ronness."

"Right," said George slowly drawing the word out as if he were pulling taffy. "I'm going to get back to my cooking."

"Ahh! My meat!" Ron quickly went back to the stove. He moved the skillet off that burner to the front right burner. After turning the front left burner down to its lowest setting, he placed a flat griddle skillet. As that skillet warmed, he went back and stirred the pot of cheese.

Getting back into his groove, he went over to his work station, Ron got out three plates that had raised edges so they were more like really shallow bowls, three spoons, and enough napkins so there would be a stack of about three napkins per plate. He went back to his stove and stirred the meat and cheese again.

At this point he took the soft tortilla shells and heated three of them one by one on the griddle skillet. As Ron finished each shell, he centered each on a plate. While he heated the third soft tortilla, he cut off the heat to the cheese and taco meat. After placing the third shell on the plate, Ron took the skillet of meat and started to hum the Flippies theme song as he distributed the meat onto each shell. Placing the skillet back on the stove, he grabbed the saucepan of cheese. Continuing to hum, he used the wooden spoon to put most of the cheese onto the three piles of taco meat. Placing the pot back onto the stove, Ron proceeded to head back to his plates and folded the shells so they look like volcanoes. For a final touch, Ron grabbed the saucepan one more time. As he glided around the counter to see different angles of his creations, he used a regular eating spoon to drizzle the rest of the cheese down all the sides of the naco. After putting the pot back on the stove for the last time today, Ron looked over at the clock and saw he finished with about two minutes to spare. With a slight cocky attitude, Ron whispered to himself. "A Boo and a Yah."

Returning to his stool, Ron sat down and looked around at what everyone else had been cooking. Three-quarters of the class were just finishing their cooking stage. The only other students who had plated their dishes besides Ron were two brunettes in the front of the class and George. One of the brunettes had cooked some nice grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. The other had made a full spaghetti dinner with a red three meat sauce, garlic bread, and Caesar salads. George had cooked some breakfast omelets.

"Okay everyone, your time is up," announced Mr. Hughes. The twelve students who had been cooking a few minutes ago collectively groaned. They were all done cooking, but none of them had finished their plating yet. Their instructor then commented, "Those of you who are still plating need to work on knowing your dishes. You should have a firm grasp on not only how long it takes you to cook a meal, but also on how long it takes you to plate that meal. You can finish plating while I look at those who finished in time. Before I do that though, I noticed that some of you didn't wash your hands the entire time you cooked. Remember your basic cooking safety. Now the four individuals, who finished, please come here to my desk." After gathering the students, he proceeded over the spaghetti dinner.

The brunette girl who created this dish stood at five foot five, but her confidence made her seem almost seven feet tall. Her charcoal eyes and impeccable tanned skin added to a sensual, powerful aurora about her. Mr. Hughes instructed her to introduce her dish.

"My name is Lima Dagon. I chose to create a meal I like to eat with my boyfriend a lot: the classic, romantic spaghetti dinner."

The professor then said, "Miss Dagon, I commend you for the layout of your meal. I do want to know one thing. What is the feeling are you trying to convey with your presentation?"

"I wanted to convey the traditional romantic sense that what gets from this meal."

"And how did you attempt to do that?"

"I just placed the food items like one usually sees in the movies in restaurant scenes."

"I see. Nicely done, but Miss Dagon if all you are going to do is a presentation you've seen someone else do, you will be an above average chef at best. Try pushing yourself a little harder next time," suggested Chef Hughes.

Lima nodded as she fumed on the inside at the instructor's constructive criticism. _Looks like this instructor is going to be a real pain this semester. At least I'll get more praise and less criticism than everyone else. Their meals look like so amateurish, especially the messy dish by the buffoon who burned his tongue earlier._

The next girl, Francine Pierce, struggled even more with Mr. Hughes's questions. She had gone for something simple to make, great tasting, and aesthetically pleasing to the eye for presentation layout. She hadn't given any thought to how she would do that and just tried to make it happen on the fly.

George knew what he wanted to cook, but he didn't have any feelings he had thought to convey with the layout of his food.

The group then came to Ron's dish.

"I'm Ron Stoppable and this is a naco. It's what happens when taco meets nacho. I used to make this on my own by ordering tacos and nachos at Bueno Nacho back in my hometown. Then when I worked there for about a month, I suggested this creation to the boys at corporate and they decided to add it to the menu."

"Interesting…for a finger food, it's an unorthodox layout to include a spoon. What is the feeling you wanted to convey with your presentation? How does the spoon aide in your attempt to convey that feeling."

"I wanted anyone who loves cheese to look at this meal and just go 'Booyah! Now that's the amount of cheese I'm looking for.' If for some reason the person just didn't want to lick it off the plate, the spoon would be used for eating any leftover cheese that drips onto the plate during the course of eating the naco."

After pausing for a moment, Chef Hughes said, "Excellent work, Mr. Stoppable. While I did not get that 'booyah' feeling from looking at the cheese oozing from your dish, I'm not that big of a cheese fan. You made your dish with a target audience in mind and I can see how your presentation would appeal to that particular audience. Also, good job at being the only person who thought to wash your hands on your own."

"Thanks," Ron replied simply.

The instructor took a step back and addressed the group. "Now, you four can taste each other's food if you want while I got back through the other student's presentations. You're free for the remaining twenty minutes of the period. Just be sure to wash your pots, pans, dishes, and utensils before you leave."

Lima, peeved at how Ron's 'amateurish dish' had somehow gotten more praise than her own, just left the group to start cleaning her pots and pans. Francine politely refused to try the naco, but did try one of George's omelets. George tried the naco as Ron was grabbing a bite of George's omelet..

"Hmm, Ron, this has more flavor than I thought it would. I was kind of expecting to only taste cheese, but the seasoning from the meat really compliments the cheese well."

"Thanks George. I like the cheese and even the variety of peppers in the omelet, which give it a southwestern kick. Maybe next time I'll try putting some into the naco."

"Interesting idea, but it will have to wait. We only have a few more minutes to clean up everything. Just don't scald yourself with the dishwater."

"Thanks for the concern, but I think I'll get the better of the dishwater."

* * *

Ron and Kim were having lunch at the dining hall Friday afternoon. "So Ron, since we're done with classes for the week, you want to hit the town? See what's where?"

"Sure that sounds like fun. What do you want to see first?"

"I thought we could go over and check out Club Banana: College Life in Mountaineer Village. They have all the university's official apparel. After that, why don't we go check out the historic downtown area?"

Before Ron could answer, the Kimmunicator on Kim's wrist went off. "What up Wade?" inquired Kim.

"I wanted to check in and see how you two were enjoying college. It's been a few years since I attended."

"Wade, you got you degree by acing all the online courses offered at your college in _eight_months."

Ron chimed in, "Yeah, not exactly the typical college experience. You didn't really get out much until our Senior Year."

"I was enjoying myself, but I have to say it is nice to get out every once and while."

Kim curiosity started to rise. "So, where are you going out to these days? I mean, since Ron and I aren't there."

"I head to the outskirts of Middleton and work with your brothers on some new gadgets. Nothing finished yet, but I think you'll like some of them."

Ron enthusiasm now started to rise. "New gadgets, gravy! Wait…Some of them? Why not all of them?"

"Let's just say, some of the inventions are designed to help your brothers when they have babysitting duty."

Kim looked curious, "Oh, really? Are any of those complete?"

"Well, more like complete failures. They don't seem to withstand first contact with Hana."

"They're not trying to hurt her are they?" asked Ron with heavy concern in his voice.

"No, mainly just ways to amp her down."

Kim was clearly amused at this point. "I guess karma does exist. Mom and Dad did say I was like those two at one point for babysitters. Then they were that way for me. Now it's their turn to deal with someone who jumps off everything like it was a launchpad."

"Speaking of launching, the Team Possible site was officially launched this morning."

"Spankin'! Zita and Monique have been working for months on the new design and layout of the website."

Ron chimed as he looked over Kim's shoulder, "So how 'bout showing us what it looks like?"

Wade pressed a key and the blue and green homepage came up on the Kimmunicator's screen.

Kim commented, "Looks sweet, Wade. Monique and Zita did an awesome job."

Wade replied, "I'm sure they'll appreciate the praise. I did have to take the website down on Monday for them to work on it this week. Since we changed the domain name from kimpossible to teampossible, an auto transfer was set up for people who type in the old site. Things should pick back up like usual in…huh."

Ron glanced at Kim, then at Wade. "What's 'huh'?"

"That was fast. We just got a hit from Global Justice. There was a laboratory break-in in Florida. They haven't been able to determine what of value was stolen." After hitting a few more keys, the super genius added, "I've sent the coordinates to the computer in your car. Dr. Director will meet you at the lab."

"A lab break-in where they don't steal anything? That's like making nacos, but forgetting the cheese."

Kim nodded. "Okay Wade, we're on it." She disconnected the Kimmunicator and looked at Ron. "Guess exploring Mountainburgh will have to wait. We've got our first mission as college students."

"College students going to Florida, Booyah!" added Ron.


End file.
